Apparatus for extinguishing fires



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 E. MEYER EI'AL APPARATUS FOR 'EXTINGUISHING FIR-ES Nov. 4, 1952 Filed April 4, 195o W ff Nov. 1952 4E MEYER TAL 2,616,505

APPARATUS FOKEXTINGUISHING FIRES Filed April 4. 195o 2 SHEETS-SHEET Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES Ehler MeyexgJersey City, and- Max Bassin, Bayonne, N. J.

Application'Api-il 4, 1950, Serial No; 153,922

Claims. 1.

This: invention relates generally to the art of 'ghting iires and more particularly to an improved composition including carbon dioxide as a medium for extinguishing res and' to a method of and apparatusv for employing such improved composition.

It is common practice to employ carbon dioxide in extinguishing fires but it is usually discharged from the container through a very narrow hose which results in a very `short stream making it necessary for the fire lighter to approach close to the re. This is dangerous and often times impossible owing to the intense heat. Furthermore, in order to be most effective the carbon dioxide discharge must be directed to the base or seat of combustion which is very difficult with such a short and narrow hose.

It is a prime object of the present invention to producea composition including water and carbon dioxide that can be projected at a convenient and considerable distance from the re yet effect a quick extinguishrnent of the re and prevent a reflash or reignition thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for employing carbon dioxide as a re extinguishing medium.

Another object of the invention is to produce a method and apparatus for projecting a stream including carbon dioxide a considerable distance While maintaining an entirely effective extinguishing concentration.

Another object of the invention is to produce a method and apparatus for projecting a. stream including carbon dioxide a considerable distance While maintaining an entirely effective reigni tion preventing blanket over the area of direct application.

Another objectA of the invention is to provide a method and` apparatus for effecting a discharge of Water and carbon dioxide as a composite stream which will possess highly effective range and penetrating characteristics as well as a large field of application or area of coverage.

Another'object of the invention is' to provide an apparatus' for employing carbon dioxide as a fire extinguishing medium that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and highly efficient in use.

Other objects or the invention are to provide a composition for extinguishing lires that will create a fire extinguishing atmosphere around the fire, that will cool any highly flammable substance or material that is feeding the fire, and that will cut ofi from the fire zone, the vapors the mixing tank showing` thewater inlet and compositedischarge outlet thereof.

Figure Llis: a cross'sectional view of the mixingA tank showing' the inlets for the carbon dioxide.

Referring to the drawings, an enclosed cylindrical pressure-tight tank or reservoir I is shown mounted on a platform 2 which may be part of a mobile truck, such as a re engine, or may be part ofV a stationary structure. The tank has a horizontally disposed inlet pipe 3 for Water which leads into the tank at its bottom end and has a horizontally disposed outlet' pipe 4 at its top end for the mixture. The tank is lled with steel shavings` 5 which are prevented from entering into the inlet2 and outlet 3 by screens 6.

A. number of high pressure cylinders 'i containing liquid carbondioxide (CO2) arel disposed around the tank in spaced relation, three of such cylinders being shown. Each cylinder has a manually controlled vvalve 8l at its top or delivery side, which valve is connected by a flexible hose El to a coupling pipe Ill for connecting a pair of closely spaced inlet pipes II and I2. Each inlet pipe l I is connected to a tapered nozzle I3y which projects through an internally screW-threaded opening I4 at the bottom end of the tank and is screvvv threaded in said opening. Each inlet pipe l2 is connected to asimilar nozzle I5' projecting through an adjacent opening I6. Nozzle I3 is longer than its companion nozzle l5 so that it projects farther into the tank than the latter nozzle.

The Water for the tank I is forced by a pump (not shown)v through a supply hose or pipe I'I. A sectioned pipe I8 connects supply pipe IT and the tank inlet pipe 3 through connections I9 and 20, respectively. The Water being pumped into the tank I may be previously treated for receiving the carbon dioxide. by charging it with causticl soda or pctash or other suitable chemical substance. For this purpose, an injector cornprising a. tank 2l' for containing such substance is mounted on. a coupling device 22A between the aligned sections of pipe I8. The side wall of tank 2| has a downwardly extending tapered portion 23 terminating at its bottom end in a straight reduced neck portion having a discharge outlet. The neck portion seats on and is fastened in any suitable manner to an enlarged portion 24 of the top wall portion of the coupling device 22, its discharge outlet communicating with an inlet 25 formed in said enlarged portion. A key actuated valve 26 controls the discharge from tank 2I into the water in the coupling member 22. Water passes from pipe I 8 through a tapered nozzle 27 extending into the coupling device to a point beyond the point of communication between the tank 2| and said coupling device. This causes a turbulance in the coupling device resulting in a thorough mixture of the water and substance from the tank 2I.

In using the apparatus, the valves 8 of the cylinders I are manipulated and semi-liquid carbon dioxide is injected into the interior of the tank I. The spaced and staggered relation of the nozzles I3 and I5 creates a turbulance or agitation of the carbon dioxide in the tank so that as the carbon dioxide passes upwardly it is uniformly distributed over the shavings throughout the tank in bubble formation, the bubbles clinging to the shavings. Water is pumped to the tank I under prsesure and in passing through the supply pipe I8 is treated with the caustic soda or other substance from tank 2I. The treated water in passing from the bottom to the top of the tank I through the steel shavings readily picks up the-carbon dioxide due to the bubble formation thereof. The caustic soda or other chemical from tank 2Iv present inthe water prevents the carbon dioxide from expanding into gas. The mixture of water and carbon dioxide is carried through the discharge out 4 of tank I and through a vertically disposed pipe 28 connected at its top end to said outlet. From pipe 2B the mixture ilows through a horizontally disposed pipe 29 connected at one end to the bottom end of pipe 28 and from pipe 29 to a re hose 3U through connection 3|. The re hose has a nozzle (not shown) at its outer end for projecting the discharge on to the nre. An air compressor 32 is operatively connected in pipe 29 whereby the air is under slight compression when the pump is operating and the air forms an elastic cushion which prevents uctuations or interruptions in the stream of the expelled liquid.

The combined water and carbon dioxide stream can be discharged through a hose of a width ordinarily used for discharging water and can be projected a considerable distance from the fire, the water serving to carry the carbon dioxide this distance.

It will be apparent that the field of applica-l tion or area of coverage of the stream is very large and that the stream possesses highly eiective range and penetrating characteristics.

The water keeps the carbon dioxide cool while being projected in the stream so that none of the carbon dioxide is lost due to expansion of heat. When the stream reaches the fire, the water absorbs the heat from the re at the area of application and in so doing expands the carbon dioxide gas that is in solution in the water. The carbon dioxide will fall to the base or seat of the nre and will produce a wall or blanket at such point that will exclude oxygen and thereby smother the re. The water also has a cooling effect on the material being consumed by the nre so that it is effective in preventing reflash or re- 4 ignition and will permit the nre fighters to more closely approach the fire.

The proportion of carbon dioxide and water and the pressure of the water may be varied. Utilizing cylinders of carbon dioxide of the type commonly used in lire extinguishing equipment and with a working water pressure of about pounds in the tank I, about 1% of carbon dioxide by weight is added to the water.

The presence of the carbon dioxide in the water permits a smaller amount of water to be used to extinguish the re thereby reducing the chances of water damage.

The discharge also dispels the smoke and products of combustion quickly and penetrates rising air currents thereby permitting quick access to the lire resulting in the saving of time which is all important at a nre.

All types of re are extinguishable by the present invention so that it is unnecessary when ghting a particular type of fire to lose time in hooking up an additional accessory when suddenly confronted with a different type of lire.

What we claim is:

l. A lire extinguishing system comprising an enclosed tank having steel shavings therein and having an inlet and an outlet, a source of supply of carbon dioxide under pressure in communication with the interior of the tank for depositing the carbon dioxide on said shavings, means for forcing a supply of water under pressure into the interior of and through said tank and through said shavings, a discharge pipe connected to said outlet, and means for directing the discharge from said discharge pipe on to a re.

2. Apparatus for extinguishing a re comprising, in combination, a tank containing metal shavings, said tank having an inlet and an outlet, a plurality of cylinders containing carbon dioxide under high pressure, pipes connecting said cylinders with the interior of the tank, nozzles on the ends of said pipes inside said tank for directing the carbon dioxide on said shavings, valve means on the cylinders for controlling the passage of carbon dioxide to the inside of the tank, a pipe for supplying water connected to said inlet and piping connected to said outlet for projecting the discharge on to a nre.

3. Apparatus for extinguishing a fire comprising, in combination, a tank containing metal shavings, said tank having an inlet and an outlet, a plurality of cylinders containing carbon dioxide under high pressure, pipes connecting said cylinders with the interior of the tank, nozzles on the ends of said pipes inside said tank for directing the carbon dioxide on said shavings, valve means on the cylinders for controlling the passage of carbon dioxide to the inside of the tank, a pipe for supplying water connected to said inlet, a device operatively connected to said water supply pipe for injecting a supply of caustic soda into the Water supply and piping connected tosaid outlet for projecting the discharge on to a lre. v

4. Apparatus for extinguishing a re comprising, in combination, a tank containing metal shavings, said tank having an inlet and an outlet, a plurality of cylinders containing carbon dioxide under pressure, pipes connectingsaid cyl.- inders with the interior of the tank, nozzles on the ends of said pipes inside said tank for directing the carbon dioxide on to said shavings, valve means on the cylinders for controlling the passage of carbon dioxide to the inside of the tank, means including a pipe connected to the inlet of the tank for conducting pumped water int-o said tank,

a device operatively connected to said latter pipe for injecting a supply of caustic soda into the Water supply, piping connected to said outlet for projecting the discharge on to a nre and a device eperatively connected to said piping for preventing fluctuations in the discharge.

Apparatus comprising, in combination, an elongated vertically disposed cylindrical pressuretight tank packed with steel shavings, said tank having an inlet at its loottcxn end and an outlet at its top end, a plurality of cylinders containing cai-'con dioxide under pressure adjacent said tank, pipes connecting said cvlinders with the interior cf the tank, nozzles on the ends of said pipes inside said tank, said nozzles being arranged in offset and staggered relation to each other for directing the carbon dioxide throughout the sliavn ings, valve means on the cylinders for controlling the passage oi carbon dioxide into the tank, a horizontally disposed Water supply pipe connected to said inlet for forcing Water into and through 6 said tank and shavings outwardly of the outlet in the tank, and piping connected to said outlet in the tank for directing the mixture of carbon dioxide and Water to a desired point.

ELHLER, MEYER. MAX BASSIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Brent Oct. 24, 1911 OTHER REFERENCES Mellor: Modern Inorganic Chemistry, 1939, pgs. 357 and 355, Longmans Green & Co., New York. 

